2002 Audi A4 3.0

From The Driver's Seat

As we said in the overview, it's really a joy to sit in the cabin of any Audi made these days. Our tester A4, for example, had optional leather seats ($1,320), with a theme of taupe-over-cream-hued panels running throughout the cabin, all interspersed with a rich, caramel-stained birds-eye maple.

No, you don't need this level of sumptuousness in a car, but compared with, say, the cabin of the current Lexus ES300, which is a perfectly fine car, the Audi A4 stands out as that much more refined.

Add to the mix solid metal door levers (not plastic made to look metallic), softened rubber on switches like the mirror controls, one-touch down and up controls for all windows, a leather-wrapped wheel with narrowed thumb notches at "3" and "9" (think of a clock face), and a pique headliner that also adds a touch of richness, and you can't help but appreciate this luxury.

Not everything is done for looks, though. Chrome-lipped gauges are actually set apart from each other, like real gauges, so that instead of a full panel of dials that tend to merge together, you see the instruments more readily.

We also find the tilting/telescoping wheel a plus--in most cars, tilt is all you get at this price range--and the nifty storage compartments under both front seats are especially useful for pocket clutter such as cell phones and house keys.

The seats themselves are up there with the very best from Porsche, Mercedes, BMW, Saab and Volvo. They are rather firm, but we didn't get tired in them, even after long hours at the wheel.

Speaking of which, we drove the manual transmission version of the A4 3.0, which, as we said, is an excellent, enjoyable sports sedan. The ride is supple, but the grip is tenacious (our tester had the aforementioned performance package), augmented by a 20-mm-lower ride height and 17-inch wheels with even larger 235/45-series tires--stock is 215/55 all-season tires on 16-inch wheels.

Naturally, quattro all-wheel drive pitches in, but that's pretty much only from a standing start or in very slippery conditions. The rest of the time, you're never aware of the drive wheels.

As for that manual shifter, we prefer the Multitronic. Why? Because the A4 six-speed, while not as rubbery as past Audi manual gearboxes, still features longer throws than you want in a sports sedan. Also, sixth gear doesn't function like an overdrive, so at 75 mph on the highway, you're still hearing a bit more motor than you might like. By comparison, the Multitronic is just as potent, and if you want to "downshift" before a turn, you can simply switch to manual mode and lock in higher revs. (For a more thorough explanation of Multitronic, click here).

We also might opt for the sport package but forego the summer tread. That's because the very low-profile tires are a bit noisier and firmer than we'd want over the long haul--if we tested cars in Southern California, it would be a different story--and with all-season tread, you might sacrifice some performance but gain a bit more comfort.

Two things that don't need improvement: suspension and steering.

The underpinnings of the A4 gained a lot over the previous-generation model, with both front- and rear-suspension geometry borrowing from lessons learned on the A8 and S8. So the ride is stone solid on the freeway, but tight and lively in a bend. The steering is especially enjoyable. The sensation is still on the lighter side for the segment, but Porsches are also getting lighter steering these days and haven't lost an ounce of feel. Here, too, there's a linear response from the tires to your hands, so you can sense the limits of grip with the seat of your pants as well as via the wheel.

Like we said, just what you'd want from a sports sedan.

Overview | Should You Buy This Car? | Specs